The present invention relates to a system and methods for cooking of food products.
The present handle invention includes a handle adapted to replace a heater and blower system removably located in a central opening defined in a top enclosure of a countertop oven. The handle has a mounting system for removably attaching the handle to the top enclosure in order to replace the heater and blower system when the heater and blower system is removed. The handle enables a user to remove the top enclosure from the bottom enclosure by lifting up on the handle when the handle is installed in the top enclosure. In this manner, the countertop oven may be converted to a food server comprising the handle, the top enclosure, and the bottom enclosure.
The present cooking pan invention includes a pan having a generally flat, round bottom member, the bottom member defining a central opening. The pan further has an outer peripheral wall extending upwardly and being located at the outer diameter of the bottom member, the outer peripheral wall having a height of approximately one-half inch. In addition, the pan has an inner peripheral wall extending upwardly and being located at the periphery of the central opening, the inner peripheral wall having a height of approximately one-eight inch.
The present cooking pan system invention is a system for cooking food in an air oven. The system includes a plurality of spaced cup units having side walls defining a generally cylindrical configuration which smoothly transition into a bottom member with a substantially rounded connection between the side walls and the bottom member. The system also includes a thin, relatively flat wire frame for holding the cup units in position. The wire frame has outer and inner annulus members, wherein the circumference of the outer and inner annulus members are determined by a diametrical dimension defined by the generally cylindrical configuration of each cup unit. The annulus members engage the cup side walls in order to secure the cup units in a system configuration permitting the flow of heated air between the cup units.
The present cooking rack invention includes a rack having a rack surface and a plurality of legs attached to the rack surface. Each of the legs is made of wire and has two straight segments extending downwardly from the rack surface and a connecting segment which connects together the straight segments. The connecting segment is shaped so as to allow the rack surface to be placed at one of a plurality of predetermined distances above the surface in the oven. The cooking rack invention also includes a plurality of such racks which may be used together in an oven. In such an instance, the length of the straight segments of one rack are different that those of another rack, so that the racks provide different ranges of height adjustability.
A method invention of cooking foods in an air oven includes using a cooking pan having a hole in its center, wherein the air oven cooks food by circulating heated air throughout the air oven cook chamber. The circulating air is drawn back up into the center of the cooking chamber and reheated and directed back down to be circulated around food positioned on the cooking pan disposed in the air oven. The hole in the cooking pan creates a passage for the circulation of the heated air.
An alternative method invention of cooking food in an air oven having a cooking chamber includes positioning on a rack in the cooking chamber a food cooking system. The food cooking system placed on the rack has a frame and cup units positioned in the frame. In the method, the air oven cooks the food by circulating blower-driven heated air throughout the air oven cooking chamber. The circulating air is drawn back up into the center of the cooking chamber and reheated and directed back down to be circulated around the cup units. The frame cup units are spaced apart in order to allow the heated air to flow throughout the cooking chamber and between the cups back up into the top of the cooking chamber.